Liam Dunn

Wine Development Manager

Connect:

I’ve been selling wine for 35 years and every day you learn something new, that’s what I love about the job; it’s great fun sharing stories with customers and colleagues. My first proper wine tasting experience was back in 1977 in Bordeaux whilst on a rugby tour when we visited various châteaux in between matches. I will never forget trying to encourage my team mates to leave the bus at Château Mouton Rothschild – they would rather stay and play poker. Their curt response was ‘when you’ve seen one “effin” château you’ve seen the lot’!

For me the great memories of my career to date have related to visits to vineyards and wineries. Walking the vineyards of Kleine Zalze in Stellenbosch with owner Kobus Basson, followed by a game of golf on his course designed around the vines being a particular highlight. As was the tutored tasting with legendary winemaker Jacques Lardière in the Beaune cellars of Louis Jadot: their 2014 Burgundies are going to be first class. It’s a hard life selling wine for Matthew Clark.